View source for Chinese Immigration Act, 1923

{{Short description|Canadian 1923 immigration legislation}}
{{italic title}}
{{Use Canadian English|date=March 2021}}
{{Infobox legislation
| short_title = ''Chinese Immigration Act, 1923''
| legislature = Parliament of Canada
| long_title =
| citation =
| territorial_extent =
| enacted_by = [[14th Canadian Parliament]]
| date_enacted =
| date_assented =
| date_commenced = 1 July 1923
| date_repealed = 14 May 1947
| bill =
| bill_citation =
| bill_date =
| introduced_by =
| 1st_reading =
| 2nd_reading =
| 3rd_reading =
| repeals = {{plainlist|
*''Chinese Immigration Act, 1922''
*''Chinese Immigration Act, 1887''
*''[[Chinese Immigration Act, 1885]]''
}}
| repealed_by = ''[[Canadian Citizenship Act, 1946]]''
| summary =
| keywords =
| status = repealed
}}
{{Canadian citizenship}}
The '''''Chinese Immigration Act, 1923''''', also known as the '''"Chinese Exclusion Act"''' (the duration of which has been dubbed the '''Exclusion Era'''),<ref>{{cite hansard|url=http://www2.parl.gc.ca/HousePublications/Publication.aspx?DocId=1659497&Language=E&Mode=1&Parl=38&Ses=1|title=Chinese Canadian Recognition and Restitution Act|house=House of Commons, Canada|date=2005-04-18|page=1100}}</ref> was a Canadian Act of Parliament passed by the government of [[Liberal Party of Canada|Liberal]] Prime Minister [[William Lyon Mackenzie King]], banning most forms of [[History of Chinese immigration to Canada|Chinese immigration to Canada]].<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Stoke|first=Harold W.|date=1933 |title=Some Problems of Canadian Federalism |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0003055400029464/type/journal_article |journal=American Political Science Review |language=en|volume=27|issue=5|pages=806|doi=10.2307/1946903|jstor=1946903|s2cid=147095086 |issn=0003-0554}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Chinese Immigration Act, 1923 {{!}} Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 |url=https://pier21.ca/research/immigration-history/chinese-immigration-act-1923 |access-date=2022-12-06 |website=pier21.ca}}</ref> Immigration from most countries was controlled or restricted in some way, but only the [[Han Chinese|Chinese]] were completely prohibited from immigrating to Canada.
The act was repealed in May 1947 after World War II, due to Canada having been a signatory to the [[Universal Declaration of Human Rights]].
==History==
Before 1923, Chinese immigration was heavily controlled by the [[Chinese Immigration Act, 1885|''Chinese Immigration Act'']] of 1885, which imposed an onerous [[Head tax (Canada)|head tax]] on all immigrants from China.
After various members of the federal and some provincial governments (especially [[British Columbia]]) put pressure on the federal government to discourage Chinese immigration, the ''Chinese Immigration Act'' was passed. It went into effect on 1 July 1923. The Act banned immigrants of Chinese heritage from entering Canada except those under the following titles:
* Diplomat
* Foreign student
* "Special circumstance" granted by the [[Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship|Minister of Immigration]] under Article 9 of the Act (This is the class that former [[Governor General of Canada|Governor General]] [[Adrienne Clarkson]]'s family fell under.)
* Merchant
Because Canada became a signatory following World War II of the United Nations' [[Universal Declaration of Human Rights]], with which the ''Chinese Immigration Act'' was inconsistent, the Canadian Parliament repealed the act on 14 May 1947 (following the proclamation of the ''[[Canadian Citizenship Act, 1946]]'' on 1 January 1947). However, independent Chinese immigration to Canada came only after the liberalization of Canadian immigration policy under the governments of [[John Diefenbaker]] and [[Lester Pearson]], first by the elimination of restrictions based on national origins in 1962, followed by the establishment of the world's first [[points-based immigration system]] in 1967.<ref>{{cite book|last=Ng|first=Wing Chung |title=The Chinese in Vancouver, 1945-80: The Pursuit of Identity and Power|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zZ4GGTmJ26IC&pg=PA120|year=1999|publisher=UBC Press|isbn=978-0-7748-0733-3|pages=120–121}}</ref>
==Redress and legacy==
Since the 1 July [[Canada Day|Dominion Day]] holiday coincided with the enforcement of the ''Chinese Immigration Act'', Chinese-Canadians at the time referred to the anniversary of [[Canadian Confederation|Confederation]] as "Humiliation Day" and refused to take any part in the celebration.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last1=Man |first1=Guida |last2=Wong |first2=Keefer |date=2023-07-06 |title=A century after the Chinese Exclusion Act, Chinese women still face challenges in Canada |url=http://theconversation.com/a-century-after-the-chinese-exclusion-act-chinese-women-still-face-challenges-in-canada-208834 |access-date=2023-07-10 |website=The Conversation |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |date=2023-05-29 |title=Government to recognize historical significance of Canada's ban on Chinese immigrants |url=https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/government-to-recognize-historical-significance-of-canada-s-ban-on-chinese-immigrants-1.6418734 |access-date=2023-07-10 |website=CTVNews |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite web |date=2023-07-01 |title=Calgarians commemorate 100th anniversary of 'Chinese Exclusion Act' |url=https://calgary.ctvnews.ca/calgarians-commemorate-100th-anniversary-of-chinese-exclusion-act-1.6464424 |access-date=2023-07-10 |website=CTV News Calgary |language=en}}</ref>
On 22 June 2006, then-[[Prime Minister (Canada)|Prime Minister]] [[Stephen Harper]] apologized in the [[House of Commons of Canada|House of Commons]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.canada.ca/en/news/archive/2006/06/prime-minister-harper-offers-full-apology-chinese-head-tax.html | title=Prime Minister Harper Offers Full Apology for the Chinese Head Tax | date=22 June 2006 }}</ref> The first phrase of the apology was spoken in [[Cantonese Chinese]], despite the overwhelming number of affected Chinese who are versed in the Taishanese dialect. He announced that the survivors or their spouses will be paid approximately $20,000 in compensation for the head tax.
On 15 May 2014, then-[[Premier of British Columbia]] [[Christy Clark]] apologized in the [[Legislative Assembly of British Columbia|Legislative Assembly]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Trade |first=Ministry of International |title=Government of British Columbia Apology - Province of British Columbia |url=https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/governments/multiculturalism-anti-racism/chinese-legacy-bc/government-of-british-columbia-apology |access-date=2023-02-16 |website=www2.gov.bc.ca}}</ref> The apology motion was unanimously passed and aims to make amends for historic wrongs. Unlike the federal apology, no individual compensation was provided. However, $1 million was promised to be put into a legacy fund which would help legacy initiatives. The formal apology went through a three-month consultation period with various parties to help ensure that the apology was done properly.
On 22 April 2018, then-Mayor of [[Vancouver|Vancouver, British Columbia]] [[Gregor Robertson (politician)|Gregor Robertson]] issued a formal public apology.<ref>{{cite news|title=City of Vancouver formally apologizes to Chinese community for past discrimination|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-Columbia/city-of-Vancouver-formal-apology-historical-discrimination-1.4630905|first=Chad |last=Pawson|publisher=CBC News |date=Apr 22, 2018}}</ref>
The Act and its legacy have been the subject of an acclaimed documentary film and work of historical fiction:
* ''[[Lost Years: A People's Struggle for Justice]]'' (2011) by Kenda Gee and [[Tom Radford]]{{Citation needed|date=June 2024}}
* ''The Red Tiger'' (2019) by Chuck Lim <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://pulpliterature.com/throwback-thursday-the-red-tiger-by-chuck-lim/|title = Throwback Thursday: 'The Red Tiger' by Chuck Lim|date = 25 February 2021}}</ref>
The centenary of the bill's commencement was marked on 1 July 2023; a national remembrance ceremony was held by the Senate on 23 June, while proclamations and memorial ceremonies were held in communities such as Calgary and Halifax.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Jiang |first=Xixi |date=2023-06-26 |title=Even after 100 years, the Chinese Exclusion Act's painful legacy still stings |url=https://newcanadianmedia.ca/even-after-100-years-the-chinese-exclusion-acts-painful-legacy-still-stings/ |access-date=2023-07-10 |website=New Canadian Media |language=en-US}}</ref> The newly-founded Chinese Canadian Museum in Vancouver also opened to the public that day.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-07-01 |title=Legacy of Canada's ban on Chinese immigration lasted longer than the law |url=https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/legacy-of-canada-s-ban-on-chinese-immigration-lasted-longer-than-the-law-1.6464059 |access-date=2023-07-10 |website=CTVNews |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-06-30 |title=Chinese Canadian Museum opens in B.C., 100 years after Exclusion Act took effect |url=https://www.goldstreamgazette.com/news/chinese-canadian-museum-opens-in-b-c-100-years-after-exclusion-act-took-effect-659759 |access-date=2023-07-10 |website=Goldstream News Gazette |language=en}}</ref>
==See also==
* [[Chinese Exclusion Act]]
* [[Chinese head tax]]
* [[Immigration to Canada]]
* [[White Australia policy]]
* [[New Zealand head tax]]
==References==
{{Reflist}}
==External links==
{{wikisource}}
{{Anti-Chinese sentiment}}
{{Chinese Canadian}}
[[Category:1923 in Canadian law]]
[[Category:1923 in international relations]]
[[Category:Anti-Chinese activities in Canada]]
[[Category:Anti-Chinese legislation]]
[[Category:Canadian federal legislation]]
[[Category:Canadian immigration law]]
[[Category:History of Chinese Canadians]]
[[Category:History of immigration to Canada]]
[[Category:History of Vancouver]]
[[Category:Immigration legislation]]
[[Category:Legal history of Canada]]
[[Category:Repealed Canadian legislation]]
[[Category:Chinese-Canadian culture in Vancouver]]
[[Category:Immigration bans]]
[[Category:Asian immigration to Canada]]